Is Santorum Looking to 2016?

RCP’s Scott Conroy looks to signs from Rick Santorum, the runner-up in the 2012 battle for the Republican presidential nomination, which suggest he may be seriously planning another run.

As Conroy points out, five of the last six GOP nominees were second-place finishers in previous presidential primaries, a trend which some have deemed for Republicans as the ’next in line’ rule.

Like Romney, Santorum has been traveling the country stumping for various Republican candidates and keeping his public profile fresh. Though many have voiced concerns that his entrance into the 2016 fight would only complicate things.

Santorum bats down those concerns, “Every race I’ve ever run, when the race was over, all of the experts said, ‘Oh, that was a fluke,’. When it happened early in my political career, it used to frustrate me. Now I just see it for the advantage that it is, and it’s a tremendous advantage for me.”

With one of the widest fields of potential candidates in recent memory, Santorum’s fight is already an uphill battle before it has even begun.

Still he remains confident and, unlike Romney, isn’t mincing words:

“I’m doing everything right now as if I’m running. So we’re moving forward and trying to line up supporters — both grassroots and donors. We’re talking to folks who might be interested after the [midterm] election to come and help the team, so we’re starting to put the pieces together, but we’re not going to make the final decision until 2015.”